Former Raiders exec LoCasale dead at 82

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) Al LoCasale, who spent more than three decades as Al Davis' confidant with the Raiders, has died. He was 82.

The team said in a statement Monday that LoCasale, who joined the Raiders in 1969 and retired in 2003, had passed away. No cause of death was given.

LoCasale, one of pro football's most colorful figures - like his boss, Davis - spent 50 years in the sport. He was an executive with the American Football League when it was born in 1960, working for the Chargers, and also was the first personnel director for the expansion Cincinnati Bengals before joining the Raiders. LoCasale also was one of the foremost historians on the AFL.

''The Raiders are saddened by the passing of longtime executive assistant Al LoCasale, whose relationship with the organization spanned more than three decades,'' Raiders owner Mark Davis said. ''He is an integral part of our history and he helped articulate the mystique of the Silver and Black. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.''